I tilted my face up to look at him. The lights from the parade reflected in his eyes, and for a heartbeat, it felt as if the whole town had gone quiet around us.
Then more bells jingled, the next float turned the corner, and we straightened, laughing, back to our stall and our cups of warmth.
But I knew. In those little hugs, those quiet in-betweens—we were making our own kind of magic.
By the time the last float rolled by, the street had begun to empty, laughter trailing away down side lanes, parents herding overexcited kids, bells fading into the snowy night. Wishing Tree sparkled as if it had caught all the stars and strung them along Main Street. This was only the beginning—the official Christmas market opened tomorrow, whentourists would flock to our tiny town for everything seasonal and sparkling.
Hunter and I worked side by side, stacking cups, blowing out lanterns, brushing snow off the tablecloth. The air was still, our breath white in the glow of the lights, the sound of our movements louder now that the crowds had dissipated.
“Successful night,” Hunter said, hefting the big pot with ease. “You sold out of those ginger biscuits.”
“I told you people can’t resist pepperkaker.” I grinned, shoving the last bag of candy into a box. “Admit it. We nailed it.”
He set the pot down on the step and looked at me with that quiet, steady gaze that always made me feel like my bones had turned to soft wax. “Yeah. We did.”
Something in the way he saidwehad my chest tightening.
I turned back to the table, fiddling with a napkin that didn’t need folding, my ridiculous hat bobbing as I ducked my head. “Thanks for… for doing all this. The outfit. The drink. The—you didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.” His voice was closer now, quiet enough that it brushed the back of my neck. “For you.”
I froze, napkin slipping from my fingers. The air between us felt like it had shifted, warmer despite the cold, charged with something I’d only let myself dream about.
When I looked up, he was right there. Inches away. Snow caught in his hair; lights reflected in his eyes.
“Hunter…” My voice broke on his name.
And then his hand came up, tentative but sure, cupping the side of my face, his thumb brushing under the brim of my hat.
The world stilled.
His thumb brushed my cheek, and I leaned into it before I could stop myself. The square was empty now, quiet except for the creak of lanterns swaying overhead and the crunch of snow under our boots.
“Wes—” he whispered, voice low and rough, as though the word cost him something.
I didn’t let him finish. Hat bobble bouncing ridiculously, I surged up on tiptoe and pressed my mouth to his. Just a brush of lips, tentative and reckless all at once, but it stole the air from my lungs. This was our first kiss where anyone could see us, making it real.
For half a heartbeat, I thought he might pull back. Instead, he kissed me, steady and sure, one big hand still cupping my face as if he’d been waiting forever. I heard someone wolf whistle, someone else shouted that we should get a room, but I didn’t care. The cold vanished, melted under the warmth of him, and when his arm slipped around my waist, tugging me closer, I forgot where we were. Snowflakesclung to his lashes, his breath mingled with mine, and I trembled against him, undone.
He eased away only when we were both breathless, but he didn’t let go. His forehead rested to mine, his voice a promise in the hush. “Let’s get this cleaned up,” he murmured, “then I’m walking you home.”
“All the way home?” I smiled at him and gestured at our stores behind us.
He lowered his voice and whispered right next to my ear. “All the way home and up to your bed.”
My grin wobbled, my chest tight with so many things I wanted to say and couldn’t. “Deal,” I whispered instead.
And just like that, we returned to our tasks, side by side, boxing up cups and lanterns, brushing snow from the stall, amidst the glow of Christmas lights. The parade may have ended, and the street was nearly empty, but something new had begun—quiet and certain as the snow settling on Wishing Tree.
I think…
I know…
I’ve fallen in love.
Chapter 17
Hunter
